All about intermittent fasting

You can argue about whether 1949’s animated movie “Fast and Furry-ous” (it debuted Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner) is better or worse — or more or less real — than Vin Diesel’s 20012017 “Fast and Furious” series. But there’s no longer any argument about what makes intermittent fasting so furiously, er, seriously, good for you.

According to researchers at Mount Sinai Precision Immunology Institute in New York, intermittent fasting reduces the release of pro-inflammatory immune cells called monocytes, and puts those that are already circulating in your bloodstream to sleep! That tamps down your risk for or eases symptoms of chronic health problems such as inflammatory bowel disease, cancer, high blood pressure and prediabetes.

This is a trick that a lot of folks can benefit from. Research shows that Americans have an increasing amount of these tissue-damaging monocytes in their blood because of a high-fat, high-sugar, additive-laced diet, a lack of exercise and obesity. So, here’s what the Cleveland Clinic and Dr. Mike recommend in his book “What to Eat When”:

1. Eat your day’s worth of food during the first eight hours you’re up — say, from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. or 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. This is much better for weight loss and heart health than alternate day fasting.

2. The 8:16 (8 hours eating, 16 hours fasting) pattern is more effective than a 12:12 intermittent fasting pattern when it comes to helping normalize blood sugar and insulin levels if you have prediabetes and normalizing blood pressure if you have pre-high blood pressure.

3. The really good news: Eating 8:16 reduces nighttime hunger more than other fasting patterns!

Mehmet Oz, M.D. is host of “The Dr. Oz Show,” and Mike Roizen, M.D. is Chief Wellness Officer and Chair of Wellness Institute at Cleveland Clinic. To live your healthiest, tune into “The Dr. Oz Show” or visit www.sharecare.com.